


all the love was real

by chenjisthisandthat



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Fake Dating, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Jeno's dense as fuck, M/M, Minor Angst, Minor Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, happy ending!, like seriously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:14:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27517435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chenjisthisandthat/pseuds/chenjisthisandthat
Summary: “What’s up, hyung?” Chenle asks, taking a seat on the couch. Jeno follows suit.“I kinda maybe told my sister I was dating you so she’d stop setting me up on blind dates.”Chenle’s jaw drops.“You what?”* * *Or: Jeno makes a mistake that helps him realize what's been in front of him all along
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin/Park Jisung, Lee Jeno/Zhong Chen Le
Comments: 13
Kudos: 105





	all the love was real

“So. I may have fucked up.” 

Renjun sighs, not even bothering to look up from his book. “What did you do this time?” 

“Well,” Jeno continues, walking over and taking a seat on the empty space of the couch. “You know how my sister keeps setting me up on blind dates?” 

Renjun snorts. “Yeah. It’s been hilarious.” 

Jeno groans. “Shut up. Point is I did something stupid.” 

Renjun still doesn’t look up. “What did you do.” 

“I may have told her that I have a boyfriend.” 

He finally looks up from his book. “Lee Jeno, I swear to god, if you told her it was me I’m gonna castrate you.”

“I didn’t!” Jeno says quickly, sitting up straight and facing Renjun. “I’m not that stupid.” 

Renjun rolls his eyes. “I honestly wouldn’t be surprised.” 

“Oh my god, do you ever shut up?” 

Renjun smacks him. 

“Who did you tell her you’re dating?” 

Jeno slouches over, burying his face in his hands. 

“Chenle,” he says quietly. 

“Who?” 

“I said Chenle,” he says, a bit louder this time. 

Renjun gasps. 

“You told your sister that you were dating my cousin?” 

Jeno groans, flopping back into the couch. “Maybe?” 

“I cannot fucking believe you.” 

“He’s the only one of our friends that’s single!” Jeno exclaims, throwing his arms out. “I couldn’t tell her I was dating Jisung or Jaemin, it’s not my fault you’re dating both of them. Mark and Donghyuck are practically married so what was I supposed to do!” 

Renjun massages his temple with his fingers. “You’re ridiculous.” 

“I can’t keep going on these blind dates, dude. If one more guy tries to go too far on the first date I’m gonna lose it.” 

“Jeno, did you forget that your sister is coming down to visit next week?” 

Jeno freezes. “Oh my fucking god.” 

“Holy shit, you’re an absolute dumbass.” 

“Who’s an absolute dumbass?” Comes Jaemin’s voice. Jeno turns to see Jaemin letting himself into the apartment. 

“Jeno told his sister that he’s dating Chenle.” 

Jaemin gasps. “No way. Does Chenle know?” Jaemin walks over to them, taking a seat on the second couch. 

“Oh my god, Jen, please tell me you at least talked to Chenle about this first?” Renjun says, placing his book on the arm of the couch. 

Jeno grimaces. “Well.”

Renjun facepalms, groaning. “You have got to be kidding me.” 

“I panicked, okay?”

“You ass! So now what, you’re gonna spring it on Chenle? That’s totally uncool,” Renjun scolds. 

Jeno gulps. “It’s only for two weeks.” 

“Two weeks is a damn long time to fake date when you have a—” 

“Small apartment,” Jaemin cuts him off. “You realize to make it convincing, Chenle’s going to have to stay with you.”

Jeno furrows his brows. “But I only have one guest bedroom? And my sister is gonna stay there.” 

“Yeah, we know,” Renjun deadpans.

“You have to tell him, like, now,” Jaemin says. 

“Tell who what?” A new voice asks. Jeno turns to see Jisung walking into the apartment.

“Oh, hey, baby,” Jaemin says, lips curling into his catlike smile. “Jeno’s fake-dating your best friend.” 

Jisung furrows his brow, placing his bag on the hooks by the door. “Chenle? He didn’t say anything to me about that.” He walks over to them, taking a seat next to Jaemin on the couch. Jaemin wraps his arm around Jisung’s shoulder, pulling him close. Jisung rests his head on Jaemin’s shoulder. They’re cute. 

“That’s because Jeno didn’t tell him,” Renjun says lightly, glaring at Jeno. 

Jisung gasps. “No way. Dude, Chenle has had a—” He’s cut off by Jaemin clamping his hand over Jisung’s mouth. 

“He’s had a rough time lately,” Jaemin says, smiling. 

“Oh.” Jeno frowns. “I hope he’s okay.” 

“Just talk to him, hyung,” Jisung removes Jaemin’s hand from his mouth. 

“And tell him today, for goodness sake. Your sister’s coming in two days, give the poor boy some time to prepare,” Renjun chides. 

Jeno sighs, moving to stand. “I guess I’ll go find him.” He scratches the back of his neck. 

“He should be at his apartment, hyung,” Jisung pipes up. Jeno nods in thanks. 

“I guess I’ll see you guys around?” Jeno makes his way around the couch, heading towards the door.

“See you, Jen.” 

“Bye, Jeno!” Jaemin says brightly. 

“Good luck hyung.” 

Jeno sighs. “Thanks, Jisung. Bye guys.” 

He slips on his shoes and leaves. 

* * *

The walk to Chenle’s apartment isn’t long enough, in Jeno’s humble opinion. 

He steels himself as he stands outside the door to Chenle’s apartment, knocking on the door. 

“Hey hyung!” Chenle greets him brightly, opening the door to let Jeno in. 

“Chenle.” Jeno walks into the apartment and slips his shoes off. 

“Jeno hyung,” Chenle replies, raising an eyebrow. He takes Jeno’s hand, pulling him farther into the apartment and taking a seat on the couch. Jeno ignores the way his heart skips a beat as Chenle tugs him along. 

Chenle’s hand is smaller than his, significantly so. He’s got true baby hands. They look especially tiny in Jeno’s hands. Chenle’s hands are soft and dainty, while Jeno’s are worn and calloused from years of gymnastics. 

They fit well together. 

Wait, why is he thinking so much about holding Chenle’s hand? 

“What’s up, hyung?” Chenle asks, taking a seat on the couch. Jeno follows suit. 

Jeno sucks in a breath. “I may have made a small mistake.” 

Chenle raises his eyebrow again. “Continue.” 

“I kinda maybe told my sister I was dating you so she’d stop setting me up on blind dates.” 

Chenle’s jaw drops. 

“You _what?”_

Jeno chuckles nervously. “And she’s visiting in two days…” 

The younger’s eyes widen, before he glares at Jeno. “You have got to be kidding me.” 

“I panicked!” Jeno exclaims. “I’m sorry, Lele, I really should’ve talked to you beforehand, I know.” He reaches out, taking Chenle’s hand. Chenle’s cheeks turn the slightest pink at the action. 

“It’s okay, I guess,” Chenle grumbles. “I’ll have to move some of my stuff into your apartment. I really can’t believe I’m gonna have to live with you for a while. How long, exactly, is she gonna be there?” 

Jeno grimaces. “Two weeks?” 

Chenle groans, leaning his head back on the couch. “You seriously suck, Lee Jeno.” 

Jeno sighs. “I am sorry, Chenle. I wasn’t thinking.” 

“Yeah, no shit.” But Chenle squeezes his hand. “It’s okay. Don’t like, I don’t know, beat yourself up over it or anything. You’re totally treating me after it’s done, though. Or maybe during, we could make it a fake date or something.” 

The words fake date ring in Jeno’s ears. That’s right, they’re fake dating now. 

“So … you’ll do it?” 

Chenle shrugs. “I guess. We have to set ground rules though.” 

Jeno nods, relief flooding through him. “We can do that.” 

Chenle gives the smallest smile, and Jeno’s heart skips a beat. 

“Thank you, Lele. Really. Thank you so much.” 

Chenle shrugs, his cheeks tinged pink. “Don’t mention it. You owe me big, Lee.” 

Jeno grins. “I’m good with that.” 

“Alright then.” Chenle stands, his hand slipping from Jeno’s. He walks over to the desk in the corner of the room, pulling a piece of paper from the drawer and a pen from the container on the desk. 

“Jeno, come here.” Chenle waves his hand, beckoning Jeno. Jeno stands, making his way over to the desk. Chenle is seated in the desk chair, and Jeno stands behind him, resting one hand on Chenle’s shoulder. 

“Rule number one.” Chenle draws a cute star bullet point on the second line. “You cannot kiss me.” 

Jeno’s eyes widen. “How are we supposed to make it look real if I can’t kiss you?” 

Chenle shrugs. “You’ll have to figure that out. You can kiss me on the face and stuff but not on the lips. That’s not allowed.” 

Jeno sighs. “Alright.” 

Chenle smiles. “Good. Glad we’re in agreement.” 

“Great, now what’s number two?” Jeno asks. 

“You do all the dishes,” Chenle says with a grin. “If I’m gonna be cooking for you, I’m not doing any dishes.” 

Jeno frowns. “You know I can cook for myself.” 

“Okay, except I’m your boyfriend now. Boyfriends cook for one another.” Chenle’s cheeks are the slightest bit pink. Cute. 

“I’m agreeing only because I love your cooking.” 

Chenle smiles. “Good choice.” He writes down the agreement. 

“So what can we do? Physically, at least.” 

Chenle hums. “We can hold hands and shit, like hug and cuddle and all of that that we normally do. And like I said, you can kiss me anywhere that’s not the lips.”

Jeno nods. “Sounds good, write that down.” 

Chenle does as he says. 

Chenle has very cute handwriting, Jeno notes. It’s rather neat. 

“We’ll have to share a bed,” Chenle says. “We’ll probably have to cuddle too, if that’s alright with you.”

Jeno’s brain short circuits. 

Sure they’ve cuddled before, but never for longer than 20 minutes and definitely never in a bed. Even when they have cuddled, it’s more been Chenle clinging onto Jeno’s arm during a scary movie or something, at least until Jeno shoves him off.

That being said, there’s something inside Jeno that really loves the idea of cuddling with Chenle for a very long period of time.

Weird. 

“Um, okay, yeah, we can cuddle.” 

“Brilliant,” Chenle says, jotting it down. “What else?” 

Jeno hums, nonsensically rubbing circles into Chenle’s shoulder.

“We’ve covered the PDA rules, how about pet names?” 

“Aha! Good catch,” Chenle says. “You can call me anything except sweetie, dear, or sweetheart because my mom calls me that and we aren’t married. Next.” 

“Hey, wait, what about what you call me?” Jeno asks. 

Chenle raises an eyebrow, looking up at him with a piercing gaze that sends a chill up Jeno’s spine. “Well, what do you want to be called?” 

“Um.” Jeno is suddenly rather flustered. “Babe? I don’t know.” 

Chenle shrugs. “Okay, babe.” 

Jeno freezes and it feels like his brain hits the pause button. His jaw drops but he barely registers it. Chenle snorts. 

“Helloo, Jeno hyung? Did I like, break you or something?” 

Jeno blinks. “No.” 

Chenle laughs brightly, cute and ringing. “You know, you can’t react like that every time I call you a pet name, babe. Your sister will get suspicion.” 

Jeno ignores the heat rising to his cheeks. “I won’t.” 

Chenle hums. “Good. What’s next?” 

“It ends after my sister leaves?” Jeno suggests. 

Chenle nods, writing down the agreement.

“I think this pretty much covers everything,” Chenle says. “Now we just have two days to practice and get everything situated before your sister gets here.” 

Jeno nods as Chenle stands, placing the paper in the drawer. Chenle turns, placing a long kiss on Jeno’s cheek. 

“Ready, babe?” 

* * *

Jeno wakes up to his phone ringing. 

“Hello?” 

_“Hey, babe.”_ Chenle’s light voice comes through the phone. Jeno nearly groans, heat rising to his cheeks. 

“You’re really going all out, huh.” 

_“Well, honey, we need to practice to make it believable.”_

Jeno’s heart skips a beat. _Honey._

“I thought we only agreed on babe,” Jeno argues. 

_“Please, Jen, we need to make it believable.”_ He can practically see Chenle rolling his eyes at him. 

Jeno sighs. “Alright, cutie.” 

Chenle snorts. _“Really? Cutie?”_

Jeno groans, flopping back against his pillow. “What do you want from me, Zhong.”

_“Zhong is even worse, babe.”_

A furious blush rises to Jeno’s cheeks. Chenle cannot be serious. 

“Fine, baby.” 

_“That’s more like it. I’ll be over in a bit with some of my stuff. See you, hon!”_

And with that he hangs up. 

Jeno sighs deeply, rolling out of bed and getting dressed. He has a feeling he’s not ready for this day. He’s a bit shocked at how difficult it is to say the pet names. And he’s gonna have to _kiss Chenle._ He doesn’t understand why any of this is so daunting. It’s not like he doesn’t want to, he definitely wants to, he’s just so awkward. He’s really gonna have to just suck it up and do it. 

He makes his way into the kitchen, taking a pan from the drawer and placing it on the stove, slicing a pat of butter and sliding it into the pan. There’s a knock on his door. He quickly abandons the stove to see Chenle at the door with a backpack over his shoulder. 

“Hi, baby,” Jeno says, ignoring the heat in his cheeks. 

Chenle smiles smugly, leaning forward and pressing a long kiss to Jeno’s cheek. “Hi honey.” 

“You two are disgusting,” a new voice says. Jeno peers past Chenle to see Jisung standing behind him with another bag over his own shoulder.

Jeno groans, walking back into the kitchen. “Why did you bring him.” 

“He’s helping me move in,” Chenle says over Jisung’s affronted scoff. 

“And for the record,” Jeno turns to look at Jisung after cracking an egg into the pan. “You and your boyfriends are not much better.” 

Jisung’s cheeks turn pink and he shrugs, shouldering off the bag and placing it next to the couch. “Whatever.”

“Are we believable?” Chenle asks. 

“Jeno hyung’s face turns too red,” Jisung answers, taking a seat at the other side of the counter, on a stool at the island in the wall between the stove and the living room. 

Jeno groans, mindlessly pushing the eggs around in the pan. 

“You know, I’ve never actually seen hyung blush, this is quite entertaining. Chenle, call him babe again.”

Chenle smirks. “Hey babe, need any help?” 

Jeno’s cheeks flush and he pointedly focuses on his eggs. 

Then a pair of arms wrap around his waist, and there’s a weight on his back. Jisung cackles loudly, nearly falling off his chair. 

“Jeno hyung, you should see your face!”

“Park Jisung. Shut up or I’ll call your boyfriend.” 

Jisung snorts. “Hyung, please, you and I both know whichever boyfriend you call they’ll support me in all my endeavors of laughing at you.”

Jeno flips his egg, hands shaking. He knows Jisung’s right, so instead he just glares at him. 

“You’re comfy, Jeno hyung,” Chenle mumbles. The arms around his waist tighten. 

Jeno sighs. “Would you like any eggs, Chenle?” 

Chenle hums. “No thank you, but nice work, offering to cook for your boyfriend.” 

“You’re welcome,” Jeno grumbles. Chenle lets go of his waist, quickly squeezing his sides and causing Jeno to yelp. 

“Chenle,” Jeno chides. 

“Yes?” Chenle asks innocently. He even flutters his eyelashes. 

“You’re insufferable.” 

“Um, we’re supposed to be dating, I don’t think boyfriends call each other insufferable,” Chenle says, frowning.

“Uhh nope, they definitely do,” Jisung says, head leaning on his hand. “Renjun hyung called me insufferable three times yesterday.” 

Jeno snorts. “Of course he did.” 

Jeno moves his eggs onto a plate, grabbing a fork and knife and going to take a seat at the island next to Jisung. 

“Hyung, sit over a seat,” Jisung orders. Jeno furrows his brows. “That way Chenle can sit next to you?” 

“Oh.” Jeno moves over, sitting on the edge. Chenle takes a seat in between them, swinging his legs back and forth. 

“So you two are really doing this?” Jisung asks. 

Chenle nods. “Yep!” 

Jisung whistles. “Wow. Good luck, I don’t think I could ever fake date someone. I’d at least catch feelings for them, which is like, the number one rule of fake dating.” 

Jeno raises an eyebrow. 

“Come on, hyung. The number one rule of fake dating is don’t catch real feelings, we all know that.” 

Chenle punches Jisung in the shoulder. “Jisung, shut up.” 

“Sorry,” Jisung apologizes genuinely. Jeno doesn’t quite know what just happened. 

He turns his attention back to his eggs only for there to be another knock on the door. He goes to slip off his chair when a gentle hand on his shoulder stops him. 

“I’ll get it,” Chenle says, slipping off the stool. 

“Wait,” Jeno says. He puts his fork and knife down and cups Chenle’s cheeks, kissing his forehead. 

“Thanks, baby.” 

Chenle’s cheeks turn a glorious red, and Jeno can’t help but feel pleased with himself. 

“You’re welcome, hyung,” Chenle mumbles, quickly darting away.

“Hyung, if you break his heart,” Jisung says lowly. “I will cover your living room in silly string and replace your shoelaces with gummy snakes.” 

Jeno furrows his brow, confused, but before he can reply, a loud voice interrupts him. 

“Guess who’s here!” Donghyuck shouts. “I heard all about your predicament from Renjun,” he deadpans, dropping onto the couch. 

“No Mark hyung?” Jeno asks. 

“Mark hyung’s here, he’s just taking forever to take his shoes off.” Donghyuck shrugs. 

Jeno nods, turning back to his eggs. Mark and Chenle walk back into the room, chatting aimlessly. Chenle goes back to join Jeno at the island, while Mark goes to sit down next to Donghyuck. Donghyuck smacks his butt before he can. 

“Duckie, really?” Mark pushes his hand away, sitting down. He throws his arm around Donghyuck’s shoulders. 

“If you ever touch my butt,” Chenle whispers. “I’ll kick you in the balls,” he threatens. 

Jeno gulps. “Noted.” 

“So, Jen, you really messed up,” Mark says, turning to face Jeno, Jisung, and Chenle. 

“So I’ve been told,” Jeno grumbles. 

“It’s fine, hyung. I mean, it’s only for two weeks,” Chenle says. Jeno’s eyes widen. Is Chenle really defending him? 

“I’m only defending you because you’re my boyfriend now,” Chenle clarifies. Donghyuck laughs loudly. 

“You guys are right though,” Jeno groans. “I really did it this time, huh.” 

A hand slips into his, squeezing. Chenle gives him a small smile, the slightest pink on his cheeks. 

“It’s alright, hyung, really.” 

Jeno smiles genuinely. “Thank you, Chenle.” 

Jeno sighs. He will admit, he is glad that, of all his friends, he’s fake dating Chenle. 

* * *

“I really don’t get why I get so flustered, I mean, I’ve had boyfriends before!” 

“Hm. I wonder why, Jen. I really have no idea.” Renjun speaks so monotonously, like he knows something. 

Or maybe he’s just Renjun being Renjun. 

“Think, Jeno. We used to date, right?” Jaemin says. Jeno nods. 

“Right. Do you remember how you felt about me before you started dating?” 

Jeno nods slowly. 

“Do you feel the same way about Chenle?” 

Jeno thinks about it for a minute. “Kinda, yeah.” 

“Okay, so what must that mean?” 

Jeno furrows his brows. “I never really liked you?” 

Jaemin facepalms so hard that Jeno thinks he might have a red mark on his forehead once he brings his hand away.

“Nope. He’s hopeless.” Renjun stands up, walking into the kitchen. “I need a drink.” 

“Jun, it’s three pm.” 

“Yeah,” Renjun says. “And Jeno’s an idiot.” He pulls a bottle of wine down from the shelf.

Jeno makes an affronted noise. 

Renjun sighs, pouring himself a glass. “Jeno, I really don’t want to have to be the one to tell you about your feelings for—”

“Hyungs something really bad happened,” Jisung interrupts, bursting into the apartment.

Renjun sighs, glaring at Jeno and setting the bottle down. Jeno wants to know what Renjun was about to say but Jisung sounds like he’s about to cry so he doesn’t question it. 

“What’s wrong, baby?” Jaemin races over to the door. 

“I failed another chem test,” Jisung says quietly. Jeno peers around the corner to see Jisung collected in Jaemin’s arms, his face buried in Jaemin’s shoulder. Renjun has his hand on Jisung’s back, rubbing up and down. 

“If I fail another one, then I have to retake the class.” Jisung sniffles. Jeno feels a pang in his chest. Poor Jisung, chem was tough. He gets how he feels. 

But a small part of him is jealous, for some strange reason. Jeno almost wishes he had a boyfriend or two to comfort him when he was sad. His mind flashes to Chenle, but he quickly brushes away the thought. 

Jaemin gently guides Jisung over to the couch, his hand around his shoulders. Jisung looks miserable, there are tears down his cheeks and a frown on his face. 

“Jeno, move,” Renjun orders. Jeno quickly scrambles off the couch, instead moving to stand behind the island. Jisung curls into Jaemin’s side once they sit, and Renjun sits down on the other side of him. Jisung just looks so small. 

Jeno suddenly feels like he’s intruding on a very intimate moment, the three curled up on the couch together. His cheeks burn. 

“I’ll, um, I’ll see you guys. Feel better, Jisung. If you ever need help with chem you can always ask me,” he rushes out. 

“Thank you, hyung,” Jisung mumbles. 

Jeno gives a thumbs up, even though Jisung can’t see. He hurries over to the door, putting on his shoes and slipping out. 

He supposes he should probably head back to his own apartment, clean up a bit, maybe help Chenle finish moving in. He jogs across campus, reaching his apartment and walking in only to see a new pair of sneakers in the front hallway. 

“Chenle?” 

“Yes, babe?”

Jeno sighs. “Why are you in my apartment?” 

Chenle walks into the front hallway, hands on his hips. “It’s our apartment now, remember? You gave me your spare key yesterday?” 

Oh, that’s right, he did do that. 

“Everything okay? You look a bit…” Chenle waves his hand. “Off.” 

Jeno shrugs. “Jisung came into Renjun and Jaemin’s apartment pretty upset.” 

Chenle frowns. “More chem trouble?” 

Jeno nods, slipping off his shoes and walking into the main area. It’s a mess, but there are a few new trinkets here and there. There’s a picture of a selfie the two of them took in April sitting on the mantle, and Chenle’s switch is set up by the TV. 

“Yeah, I offered to tutor him.” 

Chenle hums. “That’s nice of you.” His hand slips into Jeno’s, and Jeno jumps, turning in surprise. 

“Relax,” Chenle mutters. “It’s just me.” 

Jeno takes a deep breath. It’s just Chenle. Jeno squeezes his hands. 

“I’m glad I’m fake dating you,” Jeno says. 

“Huh?” 

“I said—” 

“No, I heard what you said.” Chenle turns to look at him. Jeno looks back. Their faces are unbelievably close. 

So close that Jeno could… No he won’t think about that. Chenle told him he wasn’t allowed to. 

But why is he thinking about kissing Chenle in the first place? Does he want to? 

He’ll think about that later. They’ve only been fake dating for a day, he can’t already be catching feelings. 

“Why are you glad it’s me?” Chenle asks, no, whispers. 

Jeno shrugs. “Well, I don’t know, I feel most comfortable around you. We’ve always had sort of a special bond,” he mumbles, unable to meet Chenle’s gaze. “I feel like I can be honest with you, and be myself around you.”

Chenle hums. He leans forward and presses a kiss to Jeno’s cheek. 

“I’m glad you feel that way about me,” Chenle says. He kisses the corner of Jeno’s lips. “I think I feel the same.” 

Chenle takes a step back. “I’m gonna go put some of my clothes away.” He gives Jeno a soft smile, walking away and back to the bedroom, leaving Jeno standing dumbstruck. 

“Huh?” Jeno opens and closes his mouth like a fish. What just happened? Chenle nearly kissed him, when Chenle explicitly told Jeno _not_ to kiss him. 

“Hey! Baby, wait.” Chenle pokes his head back outside the door, cheeks pink. 

“Yes, Jen hyung?” 

“You just…” He trails off.

“I did. It wasn’t on the lips.” Chenle smiles. “Why? Did I break you or something?” 

“No,” Jeno huffs.

Chenle hums. “Of course I didn’t. Come help me make space in the closet, you have too many clothes.” 

Jeno walks into the bedroom and into the closet, frowning when he sees the small suitcase that Chenle’s unpacking from. 

“You didn’t bring many clothes,” Jeno comments. 

Chenle shrugs. “I can just borrow some of yours.” 

Jeno feels slightly lightheaded at the thought. This is gonna be a long two weeks. 

* * *

“JenJen!” Jisoo exclaims. “It’s so good to see you!” 

Jeno groans, allowing himself to be pulled into a hug by his older sister. He awkwardly pats her back, nearly sighing in relief when she pulls away. She hugs like a vice. 

“How are you? How’s your boyfriend? Is he here? Where is he?” 

“Jisoo noona, slow down,” Jeno says tiredly. His sister is like a tornado. “He’s in class.” He motions for her to follow him back to the living room, which she does. 

“Oo, a smart boy.” 

Jeno facepalms. “Please, noona. Don’t scare him off like you did my last two boyfriends.” 

“Oh please, JenJen. I didn’t scare anyone off.” 

“Yes you did! Jinyoung was terrified of you!” 

“Jinyoung? Your little high school boyfriend?” 

“Yes!”

“Are you two arguing already?” A new voice says. Jeno sighs in relief to see Chenle walking into the apartment. 

“Hey baby,” Jeno greets, walking over to him and kissing him on the cheek. Chenle smiles, the slightest blush on his face. 

“Aww how cute, he’s blushing,” Jisoo coos. Chenle’s cheeks darken. “You two haven’t been dating for long, huh.” 

“No, we haven’t,” Jeno sighs. He rests a hand on the small of Cenle’s back. 

“He’s tall. You’re tall,” she says to Chenle. “JenJen, I thought you liked shorter guys?” 

“Noona, please shut up.” 

She sighs. “Sorry, JenJen.” 

“And will you please stop calling me that,” Jeno groans. 

She frowns. “But it’s so cute.” 

“It’s embarrassing,” Jeno mutters, heat rising to his cheeks. A pair of lips land on his cheek. 

“I think it’s cute,” Chenle says quietly, his gaze tracing Jeno’s face. 

“Thanks,” Jeno replies. 

“Oh, you two are so cute!” 

“Noona, please!” 

Jisoo waves her hand, walking back to the living room and taking a seat on the loveseat.

Jeno takes a seat on the couch, placing his arm up along the back of it. Chenle sits under his arm, leaning into his side. Jeno drops his arm down, wrapping it around Chenle’s waist. 

“So.” Jisoo claps her hands. “When did you two start dating?

“A couple months ago,” Chenle answers.

She hums. “Well? What’s the story? Jeno didn’t give me any details.” 

Chenle smiles softly, a smile that has Jeno’s heart racing. 

“Well… We started dating after Jeno accidentally confessed,”

Jisoo laughs loudly. Her laugh is very shrill. “That sounds like my JenJen!” She smirks. “Or I guess he’s your JenJen now.” 

Jeno watches as Chenle’s cheeks turn a dark red. Chenle smiles, but it seems forced. Jeno frowns. Why would Chenle be forcing a smile? 

“Yeah,” Chenle says, eyes trained on the ground. “He is.” 

“Alright you two, I’m gonna go say hi to all my old professors. Use protection!” She shrieks, walking out the door. Jeno groans. She did not have to say that.

“You okay?” Jeno asks as the door slams shut. 

“Yeah.” Chenle stands, walking over to the kitchen, head still angled down. “I’m fine.” 

“Are you sure?” Jeno’s getting a little worried. Chenle is relatively easy to read, at least to him. Renjun says he always has trouble reading Chenle’s emotions. 

“Yeah, babe. I’m fine. We should eat.” Chenle lifts his head, smiling at Jeno. It still seems fake. 

Jeno walks up to him, wrapping his arms around his waist and resting his head on Chenle’s shoulder. 

“Jen hyung, you don’t have to now, your sister isn’t home,” Chenle mumbles. “You don’t have to pretend.” 

Jeno frowns. “It’s okay, just practice.” He holds him tighter. Chenle sighs, but doesn’t say anything, instead busying himself with the stove. 

“On second thought.” He turns the stove off. “I think I’m gonna take a nap, is it okay if I sleep on your bed?” 

Jeno releases him, stepping back and nodding. “Yeah, that’s okay.” 

“Thanks, Jen hyung.” Chenle presses a quick kiss to his cheek. “I’ll see you in a bit.” He hurries around the counter, disappearing into Jeno’s bedroom. 

Jeno frowns. He’s not sure what any of that was about, but Chenle being sad makes him feel like shit. Maybe he’ll go out and surprise Chenle with lunch. Yeah, that’d be nice. 

He slips out the front door, locking it behind him so that his sister won’t be able to bother Chenle while he naps. He walks down to the campus’ cafe, waiting in the long line to purchase three sandwiches—he knows that if he doesn’t buy his sister one, she’ll chew his ear off. 

His phone dings with a text. He digs his phone out of his pocket to see a text from Chenle. 

_ >Lele _

_hey, where’d you go?_

_your sister’s back lol_

_ >jeno _

_grabbing food_

_u dont have to let her in if u dont want to haha_

_ >Lele _

_i’ll let her in_

_see u in a bit babe_

Jeno smiles, stuffing his phone back in his pocket before making his way back to the apartment. 

“Hey, Lele. Hey, noona,” Jeno greets, opening the door. He isn’t quite sure what exactly he’s expecting, but he’s definitely surprised to see the two chatting amicably, sitting across from one another on Jeno’s perpendicular couches. 

Chenle turns at Jeno’s voice. 

“Oh, hey, honey. Thanks for grabbing food,” Chenle says, a soft smile on his face. His eyes seem to be rimmed the slightest red. Jeno wants to frown but doesn't. He doesn’t need his sister asking questions. 

Something is very wrong. He wants to ask what’s wrong. 

“I brought sandwiches,” he says instead, raising the bag. 

Chenle claps his hands excitedly as Jeno walks into the room, setting them on the coffee table. 

Jeno takes his seat on the couch, slipping his arm around Chenle’s waist and leaning back into the couch. Chenle sits up and out of his grasp, pulling the sandwiches from the bag. 

“Babe! You remembered my favorite!” Chenle exclaims, pulling his sandwich from the bag. 

“Yeah,” Jeno says. “Of course I did. I forgot yours, though, Jisoo noona. But they only had one vegetarian option anyways, so it made the choice easy.” 

She shrugs. “Thanks, Jen.” 

Chenle leans back into Jeno’s arm, resting his head on Jeno’s shoulder and closing his eyes. 

Jeno hums. “Still tired, baby?” 

Chenle nods slowly, nuzzling further. 

“If you two want to nap together I can go unpack,” Jisoo says, pointing at the two of them. “We can always eat later. Besides, Chenle was telling me all about how much you love to stay up late playing games.” 

Jeno groans. “Really?” 

Chenle just shrugs, a small smile on his face. “Sorry, babe.” 

Jeno’s heart feels like it’s about to explode. Chenle looks so soft and so cute and so cuddly and Jeno just wants to cuddle him and hold him and kiss his cheeks and maybe even… 

His gaze travels down to Chenle’s lips. They have a naturally downturned shape to them and they look soft. 

He wants to… No, he can’t do that. Chenle explicitly told him he couldn’t do that. So Jeno won’t. Chenle doesn’t want to kiss him so no kissing will happen.

But god, Jeno’s starting to want to more and more. 

He instead focuses on adjusting them so they’re laying down on the couch, and Chenle is half on top of him, his head resting on Jeno’s chest. 

Jisoo smiles. “I’m glad you found someone, JenJen. You two are cute.” 

Jeno feels a pang of guilt, and regret. A small part of him wishes it were real. Why does he wish it were real? He doesn’t like Chenle like that, he can’t. Jisung said it’s the number one rule of fake dating. 

“Thanks, Jisoo noona.” 

Jeno has drifted off to sleep within minutes, with the comfort of Chenle by his side.

* * *

Jeno wakes up with warmth in his arms.

It’s unfamiliar, and startles him at first. He’s met with a mop of black hair, and a sleeping boy pulled to his chest. Then he inhales the familiar scent of Chenle’s shampoo and he remembers. 

Unable to help himself, he pulls Chenle closer, closing his eyes again and willing himself back to sleep. He only gets two weeks of waking up with Chenle in his arms. He better take advantage of it. 

“Jen hyung?” A sleepy voice calls. Dammit, Chenle’s awake. 

Chenle turns around in his arms, facing him instead. 

“Good morning, baby,” Jeno greets. Chenle wrinkles his nose cutely. 

“Your breath stinks.”

Jeno scoffs. “Does that mean you don’t want a good morning kiss?”

Chenle pauses and Jeno briefly panics. Maybe that was a bit too flirty. 

But then Chenle turns his head, and taps his cheek. Jeno leans forward, pulling him closer by the waist and kissing him on the cheek. He kisses him until Chenle giggles. 

“Okay, Jen hyung, you’ve proved your point.” Chenle gently pushes him away, rolling out of bed and standing. 

He looks tiny in Jeno’s pajamas. Jeno learned, while they were getting ready for bed the night before, that Chenle conveniently forgot all of his pajamas and had to borrow a pair of Jeno’s. The two of them are nearly the same height, but Jeno is much broader, and his sleep shirt hangs loosely on Chenle’s frame. 

He has some serious bedhead, his fluffy black hair sticking up in multiple directions. His face is slightly puffy, and his lips are turned in a small smile. 

Fuck, Jeno realizes, he really wants to kiss him. He wants to kiss the smile off of his face. 

“Hyung? You’re staring,” Chenle says, cheeks tinged pink. 

“Oh, uh, sorry. Should we go eat?” 

Chenle nods, smiling. He extends a hand, which Jeno takes, letting Chenle pull him to his feet. The two quickly change, turning away from one another as they do so. They make their way out of the room, hand in hand. Jisoo is already in the kitchen, cooking up something behind the stove. 

“Jisoo noona, you really didn’t have to,” Chenle says. “I was gonna cook something.”

“Oh please,” Jisoo says. “Don’t you worry one bit.” She reaches over the island, pinching Chenle’s cheek. Chenle giggles.

Chenle’s laugh has Jeno’s heart pounding. His laugh is so adorable. It’s bright and lively and the cutest thing ever. 

“Someone’s looking a little lovestruck,” Jisoo sings, flipping bacon in the pan. Heat rises to Jeno’s cheeks. 

“Shut up, noona,” he grumbles, taking a seat next to Chenle at the island. He rests his hand on Chenle’s knee, loving how Chenle’s cheeks turn the slightest bit pink. 

Jisoo luckily doesn’t notice. 

“So what are you two up to today?” Jisoo asks, plating the food. 

“Just class,” Chenle says. 

“Same.” Jeno nods. 

Jisoo hums. “That’s too boring. You two need more excitement in your lives.” 

Chenle scoffs. “Noona, our lives have loads of excitement.” 

“Yeah, we have Donghyuck and Jaemin in our lives, that gives more than enough,” Jeno defends. 

Jisoo snorts. “You still have the same friend group?” 

Jeno nods. “Same old.” 

Chenle just shrugs. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” 

“I’d argue your friend group is all over the place but that’s just me,” Jisoo mutters. “Oo, how’s Renjun doing? He’s always been my favorite. That or Jisung. He’s too cute when he gets flustered.” 

Chenle laughs lightly, while Jeno groans. 

“They’re both doing well, noona. Maybe you can visit them today.” 

“Brilliant idea, Jeno. I knew you had something in that head of yours.” 

Chenle cackles, poking Jeno in the side. Jeno sticks his tongue out at him, and Chenle sticks his out back. 

“Okay, cut it out and eat, you both have class to get to and hey wait, Chenle, isn’t that Jeno’s sweater?” 

“Huh?” Jeno turns, looking at the sweater Chenle’s wearing. Sure enough, it’s Jeno’s black university sweater. Chenle just shrugs, turning back to his food. 

“He wasn’t wearing it.” 

Jisoo smiles. “I like the way you think.” 

Chenle smirks. He leans over, pressing a kiss to Jeno’s cheek. 

“Alright.” Chenle quickly finishes the rest of his food. “I have an early class. I’ll see you later, babe. Bye noona!” 

With that, Chenle quickly zips out of the apartment. 

“So, Jeno.” Jisoo wiggles her eyebrows. “Tell me all the details. Why haven’t you two kissed yet? I haven’t seen you kiss at all.” She gasps. “Don’t tell me you haven’t kissed yet.” 

Jeno shifts uncomfortably. What does he tell her?

“Um, we’re waiting for the right time.” 

“That’s so precious.” She takes a bite of her food. “You two are just so sweet. Like, you napped on the couch together, you picked up lunch for him and you knew his order. And just the way you look at him, JenJen, I can really tell how much you like him.” 

Jeno’s blood runs cold. 

“What?” He blurts. 

Jisoo’s brow furrows. “What do you mean ‘what?’ I said I can really tell how much he means to you. You look at him as if he holds all the stars in the sky, as if he stole your heart. Do you really not know you look at him like that?” 

“Um, uh, no, no I didn’t know,” he stutters. His heart pounds in his chest. Does he really look at Chenle like that? Does he like him? 

“I gotta go to class.” He quickly excuses himself, grabbing his bag and bidding his sister goodbye. His class isn’t really for another hour, but he needed to have his crisis elsewhere. 

He sprints to his and Chenle’s favorite park bench, taking a seat and dropping his head in his hands. His head is spinning.

Does he really like Chenle? Does he really have feelings for him? That’s not possible, hell, that’s not supposed to happen. He _can’t_ have feelings for Chenle. The number one rule of fake dating is don’t catch feelings. Jeno’s doing exactly that. But no, he can’t be doing that. He really can’t.

“Fuck,” Jeno whispers. 

No, his sister must be seeing things. 

He doesn’t have a crush on Chenle. 

* * *

It’s been three days since Jisoo first arrived. 

Jeno shifts his papers. Jisoo is out with some old friends who lived in the area, leaving Jeno home while Chenle’s at class. 

He flips through his notebook, searching for the right physics notes. God he has the most complicated love-hate relationship with physics. He adores it, of course. He wouldn’t have become a mechanical engineer otherwise. But god, does it drive him absolutely insane sometimes. 

His mind drifts to Chenle. He seemed off this morning, slipping quietly out of bed and off to class before Jeno even woke up. Jeno didn’t even get to give him his good morning kiss on the cheek. It’s almost become a habit now. 

A knock on the door knocks him out of his thoughts. It must be Jisoo returning from her friends’. Chenle has a key now, so he no longer needs to knock. 

Jeno stands, walking over to the door and turning the knob. Almost immediately, Chenle drops into his arms, burying his face in Jeno’s chest. 

“Lele? Are you okay?” 

Chenle just shakes his head, snaking his arms around Jeno’s waist and gripping the back of his shirt. 

Jeno gently rests his hand on his back, rubbing up and down. Chenle doesn’t seem to be crying, which is good, but Jeno is worried all the same. 

“Baby?” Jeno tries. Chenle holds onto him tighter. 

“Let’s get inside, okay?” Jeno says gently, coaxing Chenle into the apartment. He closes the door after him, hoping his sister will take the hint. Maybe he’ll text her and tell her to come back later. 

Chenle lets go of Jeno to slip off his shoes, taking Jeno’s hand and following him into the living room. Jeno takes a seat on the couch, pulling Chenle to sit down next to him. Chenle takes a seat, throwing his legs across Jeno’s lap leaning against him. Jeno wraps his arm around Chenle’s waist, tucking him into his side. 

“Are you okay?” 

Chenle shakes his head. He appears to be staring off blankly, and Jeno is so worried. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Jeno tries. 

“I failed my vocal evaluation,” Chenle says quietly, gaze trained on the wall. 

“Oh!” Jeno says, surprised.

Chenle is an excellent vocalist. Jeno doesn’t think he’s ever failed an evaluation before. He’s been singing since he was a child, and he has the voice of an angel. There isn’t much that Jeno loves more than Chenle’s singing voice. 

“I’m sorry to hear, Lele.” Jeno rubs up and down his back. 

“It’s not even like it was my fault!” Chenle exclaims, frustrated tears dripping down his cheeks. “I have a cold, I can’t control that! I tried telling my vocal coach and asking to reschedule but she just, she just brushed me off and told me I had to anyways.” He crosses his arms, lips drawn to a pointed frown. 

“And lately I’ve been upset about something else and I’ve just been feeling so shitty and just—dammit!” Chenle cries, reaching up to roughly wipe at his tears. 

“Woah, hey, slow down, baby.” Jeno moves to wipe away his tears. 

“You don’t have to pretend right now,” Chenle mumbles, nudging Jeno’s hand away. “You don’t have to pretend to care about me. Your sister isn’t here.”

“Chenle,” Jeno whispers. “I do care about you, what are you talking about? I’m not just doing this to pretend, I want to see you smiling again.” 

Chenle only cries harder, burying his face in Jeno’s side, uncrossing his arms to grip Jeno’s shirt. 

“Why do you keep,” he asks between sniffles. “Why do you keep making me feel like I have a chance?” 

“Huh?” 

“Nevermind,” Chenle says, pulling back and sniffling. He keeps his gaze trained on the ground, rubbing roughly at his tears. 

“Chenle, stop, don’t do that,” Jeno chides, grabbing Chenle’s wrists. He cups Chenle’s face instead, wiping the tears off his cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. 

“I’m sorry to hear about your evaluation,” Jeno whispers. His heart nearly shatters as he gets a good look at Chenle’s face. There are tear tracks streaking down his cheeks. His lips are drawn to a pout and his eyes are rather puffy. His nose is slightly red. 

All Jeno can think is how he still looks _pretty._

“It’s okay,” Chenle mumbles. “I just feel like shit. I’ve never failed an evaluation before. I’ve never even gotten close. Hell, I’ve never had someone insult my voice before.” 

Jeno frowns. He presses a long kiss to Chenle’s forehead. “I love your voice, baby.” 

Chenle doesn’t say anything, just closing his eyes and resting his head on Jeno’s shoulder. 

“Did you mean it when you said you cared about me?” Chenle asks quietly. 

Jeno’s jaw drops. “Of course I did, Lele, you’re—”

“Like outside of this, outside of this fake-dating world.” 

Jeno pauses. “Yeah, yeah. I really really do care about you, Chenle. You mean so much to me.” 

Chenle simply hums, shuffling impossibly closer. “I care about you too, Jeno hyung. More than I think you realize.”

Jeno doesn’t know what to say. “I could say the same to you,” he whispers. 

“What’d you say?” Chenle looks up at him. 

“Uh, nothing, nothing, Lele.” 

Chenle leans his head back down. He still looks so sad, it makes Jeno’s heart hurt. 

“You should rest, Chenle,” Jeno suggests. Chenle hums, closing his eyes. Jeno presses one last, long kiss to Chenle’s forehead. 

“Goodnight, baby. I’ll be here when you wake up.” 

“Goodnight,” Chenle mumbles. He mumbles something even quieter afterwards, and Jeno can’t make it out. 

His breaths even out rather quickly, and Chenle is sound asleep. 

Jeno is left awake, with Chenle in his arms, his words from earlier replaying in his head. 

_Why do you keep making me feel like I have a chance._

* * *

“Mark hyung. I have a dilemma.” 

Mark’s eyes widen in surprise. “Good morning to you too, Jeno.” He sets his cup of coffee down on the counter. “How did you get in here?” 

“Is Donghyuck here?” 

Mark shakes his head. “No, he’s in class.” 

Jeno exhales a sigh of relief. Thank god. He does not need to get made fun of today. 

“Um, so, Chenle and I are fake dating, right?” 

Mark nods slowly. “You are… What about it?” 

Jeno gulps. “Well.” He sucks in a breath. “Recently I’ve been feeling, uh, weird, around Chenle. We’ve only been fake dating for a week, mind you. And well, like, I kinda want to kiss him? And like—”

“Dude, you have feelings for him,” Mark deadpans. 

Jeno freezes, mouth gaping like a fish. 

“Hyung, please tell me you’re joking.” Jeno takes a seat on the chair at the island, feeling rather lightheaded. 

“Jeno, you look at Chenle like, like, I don’t know, like he’s the only person that’s ever mattered to you. You look at him the same way you look at a brand new videogame.” 

“Really, hyung?” 

“Shut up, Lee, I’m not done. You look at him like he’s the center of your universe, like he holds the sun in his hands and like he carries the moon. Jeno, I wouldn’t be surprised if you told me you were in love with him.” 

Jeno doesn’t know what to say. “I’m in love with him?” He asks weakly. 

Mark sighs. “I hate to be the one to tell you, Jen, but you two need to sort your shit out before you break Chenle’s heart.” 

The thought has Jeno paling. “Wait, does Chenle feel the same?” 

Mark facepalms, and a loud _smack_ resonates throughout the room. 

“Chenle has had a crush on you since we were in high school!” 

“Mark hyung! You were not supposed to tell Jeno that.” Donghyuck walks into the room. “Chenle has asked us all never to tell Jeno.” 

“Well, you see, Jeno here just realized his feelings and I’m trying to convince him to confess.” 

“Oh! Jen, you finally realized you were in love with him?” 

Oh god, Jeno thinks he might pass out. Black dots seem to dance in his vision. 

“Jeno! Jesus christ, are you kidding me?” Donghyuck’s arms are on his, holding him up in his chair, and Mark is looking at him worriedly. 

“Uhh,” Jeno says eloquently. 

“You just nearly blacked out, fucking dumbass,” Donghyuck chides.

“Let me get you some water.” Mark stands, hurrying over to the cabinets and grabbing a glass. He fills it in the sink. “Here, drink slowly.” He presses the clear glass into Jeno’s hands. Jeno does as he says. 

“So I really love Chenle,” Jeno says quietly between sips. 

“Well,” Donghyuck says, hand on his back. “Do you?” 

Jeno gulps. Does he? 

He’s known Chenle since they were ages fourteen and fifteen. Chenle was a bright fourteen year old. Bubbly, smiley, and unbelievably _loud._ His laughs were like a dolphin’s shriek, and he never shut up. Ever. He was clingy, giggly, and always excited. As he grew older, Chenle seemed to mellow out more. He dyed his hair a couple of cute colors—from a soft violet to a striking orange his senior year—and grew a whole lot taller. He was a head and a half shorter than Jeno when the two of them met. Now they’re the same height. 

Jeno really began to notice Chenle when Chenle ended up going to the same local college as him. Chenle’s hair was back to his natural black, and his face had matured a lot from the cute, baby faced kid. His cheekbones were a lot taller, face more defined. He was wildly attractive and suddenly it was doing things to Jeno’s heart. 

Jeno takes a deep breath. 

Chenle still has his loud laugh and his bright demeanor, he’s still bubbly and smiley except he’s also serious and mature. He’s a brilliant cook, he checks in on Jeno all the time. They go out for lunch, out to the arcade. Usually it’s just when they hang out with the whole group, but no matter what they always seem to gravitate towards one another. 

Chenle is unique. He’s passionate and loving, strong-willed and powerful. He’s genuinely the kindest person Jeno has ever met, and he’s always going out of his way to help others. He’s the one who texts their group chat to make sure nobody is skipping meals. He’s the one one who makes sure they eat their vegetables. He checks on Jeno after he has a rough day, he makes sure Jeno’s not overworking himself during finals. 

“Oh my god,” Jeno whispers. “I really do love him. I love everything about him. I love his laugh and his smile, I love the way he kisses me on the cheek. I love kissing him on the cheek. I want to kiss him!” 

“Fucking finally,” Donghyuck says, socking him in the arm. “It took you long enough! We thought you two would never get together! Now go tell him you soggy towel.” 

Jeno scoffs. “Excuse me?” 

“You heard him!” Mark exclaims. “You need to tell him! You need to go get your boy.” 

“But what if he doesn’t feel the same,” Jeno mumbles. 

“Ugh! Jen! You’re so fucking stupid!” Donghyuck smacks him upside the head. He takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry for calling you fucking stupid. You’re simply being a teensy weensy little bit dumb right now.” 

“It’s okay,” Jeno says. “Are you sure he feels the same?” 

Mark nods. “We’re almost positive.”

“Almost isn’t one hundred percent, Mark hyung.” 

Donghyuck sighs and exasperated sigh. “Jeno, please confess. Jisung is seconds from killing you for making Chenle cry the other day. As much as I pretend to hate you, I don’t actually want to see you murdered by our youngest friend.” 

Jeno freezes. “I made Chenle cry?” He asks timidly. 

“Donghyuck!” Mark hisses. “He wasn’t supposed to know!” 

Jeno feels like crying. “Oh fuck. I made Chenle cry because I was oblivious to my feelings.” 

Mark sighs. “Yes, you did, but now you know and now you understand why Renjun was so ready to kill you when you said you told your sister you were dating Chenle, now go date him for real!” 

Jeno takes a deep breath, collecting himself. 

“Go get your boy, Jen. And apologize to him, dammit.” 

Jeno takes a deep breath. 

Time to go make things right. 

* * *

Jeno and Chenle barely talk for three days. 

It’s not intentional, Jeno is just so busy with schoolwork and dance that he barely has time for anything but work. And while Jeno does his studying at the kitchen table, Chenle does all of his in the library. They meet at night, but only because they’re sharing the same bed. Jeno holds Chenle as tight as he can on those nights, trying to draw the courage to tell him how he feels. 

Even with reassurance that Chenle feels the same, the thought of confessing still absolutely terrifies Jeno. 

Jeno is working at the table on Saturday night, focusing hard on his English reading. He isn’t entirely sure why he minored in English but he’s starting to wish he didn’t. Maybe he’ll ask Chenle for help—Chenle is also an english minor except he’s excellent at English. Unlike Jeno, who is not. 

A hand lands on his shoulder and Jeno yelps, jumping in his seat and whirling around. 

“It’s just me,” Chenle says softly. “Sorry for startling you.”

“Oh, it’s alright,” Jeno replies. Chenle pulls out the chair next to him, taking a seat and scooting back closer to the table. He places his crossed arms on the table and drops his head into them. 

“Hey,” Jeno says, resting a hand on Chenle’s back. “You okay?” 

Chenle nods, head still in his arms. “I’m okay, hyung. Just a bit tired.” 

Jeno hums. “We’ll cuddle extra tonight.” 

Chenle turns so that his head faces Jeno, a soft smile on his face. “Thanks, babe.” 

Jeno nods. “You’re welcome.” He reaches out on instinct, brushing Chenle’s bangs behind his ear. Chenle closes his eyes, humming contently. 

“I don’t want this to end,” Chenle whispers. Jeno furrows his brows. 

“What do you mean?” 

Chenle’s face drops to one more sorrowful. “All of this,” he says quietly. “It’s nice, dating someone, dating you, even if it’s only fake.” 

Jeno’s hand falters from where he was absentmindedly petting Chenle’s hair. 

“Hey, no, keep doing that,” Chenle says, letting his eyes fall shut. 

Jeno hums. “Sorry, baby.” He continues running his fingers through Chenle’s hair. 

Jeno’s mouth goes dry. Chenle looks so peaceful, so relaxed. Jeno wishes he could take a photo or imprint it in his mind. He loves him. He really does love him. 

Chenle opens an eye, peeking up at Jeno. He frowns. 

“Jen hyung? You look rather pale.” 

Jeno gulps. “I need to tell you something, Chenle.” 

Chenle shakes his head. “Don’t, hyung. I already know what you’re gonna say and just.” He sits up, taking Jeno’s hand. “Let me have this, please. Just for a little while please let me have these moments with you.” 

Jeno furrows his brow. “What are you talking about?” 

“Hyung please.” Chenle leans forward, resting his forehead on Jeno’s. He’s so close that Jeno could… 

A soft pair of lips press onto his, and Jeno freezes. Before he can kiss back, Chenle is pulling away with tears in his eyes. 

“I’m gonna go now,” Chenle says, voice breaking. He pushes back his chair and runs, leaving Jeno dumbstruck. 

“What just…” Jeno brings his hands up to his lips, which are still tingling from the feeling of Chenle’s on his own. Chenle kissed him. Chenle _kissed him._ But then he was crying, and he just left Jeno. 

“Fuck!” Jeno stands. He needs to go after him but he’s still so confused what just happened? 

“Lee Jeno explain to me right now why the fuck your boyfriend just ran out of your apartment crying.” 

“I don’t know,” Jeno replies, dropping back down into his seat. “He just, noona, I don’t know. He just kissed me and cried and ran and I don’t know what just happened.” 

Jisoo softens, taking a seat next to her brother and placing her hand on his resting on the table. 

“You seem rather distraught so I’ll believe you, but that doesn’t make me understand any more.” 

Jeno’s mouth goes dry. “It was fake.” He gulps. “We were fake dating to get you off my back with the blind dates, but then—”

“You’re both in love, I don’t believe you for a damn second that it was fake.” 

Jeno just gapes. “No, really, it was fake, none it was ever real—”

“That’s where you’re wrong, JenJen. The title may have been fake but none of that—not how you look at each other, not how you hold each other, not how you kiss each other. None of that is fake. Not for a single minute. Does he really not know how you feel?” 

Jeno pauses. “I only just figured it out the other day,” he mumbles. “I was about to try to tell him but then he said he knew what I was gonna say and to just let him have it and then he kissed me.” 

Jisoo squeezes his hand. “You need to talk to him. He probably thought he was going to get his heart broken.”

Before Jeno can respond, his phone rings in his back pocket. Jeno quickly pulls his phone out, checking the caller and groaning. 

“It’s Jisung.” 

He answers the call.

_“Hyung.”_

Jeno gulps. Jisung has never sounded so serious. 

“Yes, Jisung?” 

_“I am on my way to your apartment with a can of silly string and a bag of gummy worms.”_

“Where is he?” Jeno asks desperately. 

_“He just showed up and ours sobbing hysterically, I don’t think he wants to see you.”_

“I need to see him,” Jeno argues. “Please.”

 _“Hyung, no. How do you think he feels?”_ Jisung is sounding more upset by the minute. 

“I need to tell him he’s got it all wrong, I’m in love with him!” Jeno exclaims. 

Jisung sighs through the phone. _“Fine. You can come, but if you break his heart…”_ Jeno hears the shaking of a can of silly string in the background. Jisung mimics the shhhing noise as well. 

Jeno gulps. “I understand, Jisung. I promise I won’t break his heart. I really just…” He takes a deep breath. “I really love him, it was stupid of me to take this long to realize.” 

Jisung snorts. _“Yeah no shit. We never thought you were gonna figure it out, hyung. I had completely lost hope. Hell, we made bets on how long it would take you to realize.”_

“Really? Who won?”

_“Ugh. Jaemin hyung did. He’s gonna be so smug about it too. Anyways. Hyung, the door’s unlocked, the rest of us will get out. You have five minutes to get here.”_

Jeno runs. 

* * *

Jeno takes a deep breath, tentatively knocking on the door to Jisung, Renjun, and Jaemin’s apartment. 

“Go away.” Comes Chenle’s response. 

Jeno pushes the door open, carefully slipping his shoes off and walking in. 

“I said go away, I don’t want to see you, Jeno hyung.” Chenle sniffles, and Jeno’s heart breaks. 

He rounds the corner into the living room to see Chenle curled up on the couch under a blanket, a mug of hot cocoa on the coffee table in front of him. 

“Chenle, I really need to talk to you.” Jeno cautiously takes a seat on the couch, a foot or so away from Chenle. He tentatively scoots closer. Chenle doesn’t look at him, gaze trained in the other direction. 

“I don’t want to talk to you,” Chenle mumbles. 

“I love you,” Jeno says, just above a whisper. Chenle whirls around to face him, eyes wide. 

“No you don’t,” Chenle says, lower lip trembling. “You’re just fucking with me. That’s mean, stop it.” 

“No, Chenle, I really do. I’m in love with you.” 

“I said that’s mean.” Tears drip down his face. Jeno moves closer, cupping Chenle’s cheeks in his hands. 

Jeno gently rubs the tears off of Chenle’s cheeks with the pads of his thumbs, pressing a kiss to each cheek. 

“Want me to prove it to you?” Jeno whispers. 

Slowly, Chenle nods. “Yes.” 

Jeno closes his eyes, leaning in and cautiously pressing his lips to Chenle’s. The kiss is slow and soft and absolutely incredible. Chenle’s lips are soft and plush against Jeno’s as he carefully kisses back. Chenle brings his hands up, resting them on Jeno’s shoulders. Chenle pulls away shortly, looking up at Jeno. 

“Do you really love me?” Chenle asks hopefully. 

Jeno smiles softly. “Yes, Lele, I really do.” 

Chenle breaks into a dazzling grin, and he pulls Jeno into a hug, burying his face in Jeno’s chest. “I love you too,” Chenle says, voice muffled. 

Jeno hugs Chenle close and for a while they just stay like that, holding one another. 

Chenle eventually slips out of his hold, the blanket falling off his shoulders as he brings his hands up to cup Jeno’s cheeks. Jeno rests his forehead against Chenle’s, their noses brushing together. 

Chenle giggles. “I can’t believe you love me back.” 

Jeno hums. “Well I do.” 

Chenle presses forward and kisses Jeno once more. Jeno moves his hands to hold Chenle’s waist, pulling him close. 

“Ew! Hyung, they’re kissing!” 

Chenle pulls away. “Park Jisung, I’ll stab you!” He shouts. 

“Sorry!” Jaemin calls. “We didn’t realize you weren’t done. Glad you worked things out.” 

The door slams shut again, and Jeno can faintly hear Jaemin scolding Jisung through the door. 

He turns his attention back to Chenle, who’s smiling softly up at him. “Can we date?” Chenle asks. “For real this time?” 

Jeno breaks into a grin, peppering Chenle’s face with kisses, eliciting giggles from the other boy. “I’d love to date you, for real this time.”

Chenle wraps his arms around Jeno’s shoulders, humming and closing his eyes, resting his head on Jeno’s shoulder. 

“I’m sorry for kissing you and running off earlier,” Chenle says quietly. 

“I’m sorry for making you wait so long. I didn’t even realize I was in love with you until Mark pointed it out.” 

Chenle laughs. “You’re really an idiot.” 

“Shut up,” Jeno grumbles. Chenle sits up, a mischievous glint in his eyes. 

“Make me.” 

Jeno smiles. “Maybe I will.” He leans in to kiss Chenle once more. 

“Are you two done kissing?” Jisung asks. Chenle pulls away, groaning. 

“Jisung, really? No we’re not done.” 

“Yes you are, it's been at least ten minutes and we need our apartment back,” Renjun says. “Y’all can go back to your own and continue.” 

Chenle pouts, turning so he’s leaning back against the couch, no longer facing Jeno. Jeno slips his arm around Chenle’s waist, and Chenle leans his head on Jeno’s shoulder. 

“Aww, you two are cute,” Jaemin coos. 

“So, somebody finally realized his feelings?” Renjun quips. Jeno nods, embarrassed. 

Jaemin cackles. “You all owe me ten bucks!” 

“Come on, Jen.” Renjun digs out his wallet. “You couldn’t have waited two more days?” 

Jeno scoffs. “Really guys?” 

Chenle laughs lightly. “I dunno I think it’s rather funny.” 

Jeno hums. “Of course you do.” He presses a kiss to Chenle’s forehead. Chenle giggles. 

“You two are gross,” Jisung says. 

Jeno scoffs. “You’re in Jaemin’s lap!” 

Jisung’s cheeks turn pink, and he crosses his arms. “So?” 

Jeno rolls his eyes. 

“But in all seriousness,” Jisung says, a soft smile on his face. “We’re happy for you guys. But Jeno hyung, you better not make me waste a can of silly string on your living room.” 

Jeno gulps. “I won’t break his heart, Jisung.” 

“You better not,” Renjun threatens. 

“Hyung, Jisungie, you can scare him off later, for now just.” Chenle waves his hands around. “Back off.” 

Jisung pouts. “Fine.” He motions his hands with an ‘I’m watching you’ gesture. Jeno shudders. Jisung can be scary when he wants to be. 

There’s a knock on the door that quickly changes the subject. 

“I’ll get it,” Renjun says. “Seeing as Jaemin’s not standing up.” 

Jisung smiles sheepishly. “Sorry, Junnie hyung.”

Renjun rolls his eyes fondly, ruffling Jisung’s hair. “It’s okay, brat.” 

Renjun makes his way over to the door, Jeno listens intently. 

“Oh come on, Donghyuck, fuck off.” 

Donghyuck cackles loudly and Jeno hears a loud _smack_ of lips on skin, meaning Renjun probably just got a Donghyuck kiss on the cheek. 

“Good to see you too, Renjunnie.”

Renjun walks back into the living room, disgruntled. He wipes at his cheek with his sleeve. 

“Donghyuck, you’re gross,” Renjun grumbles. 

“Sorry, Renjun,” Mark says, walking in after Donghyuck. The pair seat themselves on the island chairs, behind Jeno and Chenle. 

“So, you two worked out your shit?” Donghyuck asks. Jeno nods. 

“Sure did!” Chenle says brightly, snuggling closer to Jeno. Jeno pulls him closer, dropping a kiss on his forehead. 

Jisung wrinkles his nose. “You know, you two don’t have to stay here, if you want to go have some alone time you won’t offend us.” 

“I think that would be nice,” Chenle says quietly, looking up at Jeno. 

Jeno shrugs. “Yeah. I guess we’ll be on our way then.” 

Chenle stands, slipping out of Jeno’s grip and offering his hand. 

“I gotta go tell my sister what happened anyways, so she doesn’t behead me for making Chenle cry.” He takes Chenle’s hand, standing. 

“You made Chenle cry again?” Donghyuck asks, appalled. 

“Nope, that time it was my fault,” Chenle says. “I kissed him.” 

“You what?” The entire room choruses. 

“Before he confessed? Why?” Renjun asks, jaw dropped. 

Chenle’s cheeks turn pink. “I think that’s our cue,” Chenle mumbles. “Let’s go, babe. Bye guys!” 

Chenle pulls Jeno out of the apartment, barely giving him enough time to slip on his shoes. 

“Why did you kiss me?” Jeno asks as they walk away. Chenle stares at the ground, fiddling with Jeno’s fingers. 

“I’ve wanted to kiss you for years, Jen hyung. I thought you were about to reject me, and I was about to lose you. I know I shouldn’t have since I didn’t ask first, and I’m sorry, but the fake dating gave me an opportunity to just kiss you once. I didn’t want to lose it.” 

“Oh.” Jeno isn’t quite sure what to say. 

“It’s okay!” Chenle quickly brightens up. “Now that we're really boyfriends, I can kiss you whenever I want.” But his smile is still forced. 

“Chenle, it’s okay to be upset about it. Jaemin did say you were going through a rough time.” 

Chenle shrugs, smile dropping. “Yeah it did hurt a lot. It was like I finally had everything that I wanted, and you made me feel so loved, but then it was all fake.” 

Jeno frowns. “I’m really sorry.” 

Chenle shrugs again. “It’s fine, hyung, really.” 

“It isn’t.” Jeno stops walking, turning to face his boyfriend. “I’m sorry I hurt you so much.” 

Chenle leans forward, pressing a kiss to Jeno’s lips. “It’s okay, you have plenty of time to make it up to me,” he says with a smirk.

Jeno smiles. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Chenle says simply. “Let’s keep walking.” 

“And for the record,” Jeno says as they walk. “I was chatting with my sister, and I told her it was fake, and she said I was wrong.” They walk through the door of the apartment. “She said only the label was fake. None of the feelings nor any of the actions were ever fake.” 

Chenle turns, looping his arms around Jeno’s neck and pulling him into a kiss. Jeno kisses back, resting his hands on Chenle’s hips and pulling him close. 

“I take it you two worked things out?” A light voice asks with a laugh. They break apart, and Jeno looks to see his sister leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. 

“I’m heading out with some friends. You boys stay here and don’t do anything stupid, got it?” 

Jeno nods, releasing Chenle and moving to the side so Jisoo can slip out of the apartment. As soon as she does, and the door slams shut, Jeno turns back to Chenle. 

“I’m glad you finally realized your feelings.” 

Jeno hums, kissing Chenle’s forehead and hugging him close. 

“Me too, baby, me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!! This was my first time writing Jenle and they have suuuuch a cute dynamic! I loved it. This was also my first time writing fake dating! It was super fun, I'll definitely do it again.  
> [twt](https://twitter.com/chenjisthisand_)  
> [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/chenjisthisandthat)  
> [cc](https://curiouscat.me/chenjisthisand_)


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